Macomb actor returns for debut of his Dog Lover' movie

Actors, Jayson Blair and Allison Paige in a scene from “The Dog Lover,” opening at AMC 30 Forum in Sterling Heights, July 8. Blair is a L’Anse Creuse High School graduate and native of Macomb Township.
ESX Entertainment/For Digital First Media

Actor, Jayson Blair, 33, from the TV series, “Young & Hungry” will attend the opening of his new movie “The Dog Lover” at AMC 30 Forum in Sterling Heights, July 8. Blair is a L’Anse Creuse High School graduate and native of Macomb.
ESX Entertainment/For Digital First Media

“I always get nervous when I travel anywhere,” says the 33-year-old actor born in Detroit and raised in Macomb Township. It’s not the flying that bothers him as much as the idea of leaving his alien-looking hypoallergenic cat Clarence Willy, and everything else behind. That is, however, likely to subside once he gets to town and finds himself surrounded by family and fans of his new movie, “The Dog Lover.”

Blair will attend the screenings and special meet-and-greets planned around the film’s opening at the AMC Forum 30 in Sterling Heights, July 8-10.

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“I’m very excited about it,” Blair says. Expected to be in attendance for the events are Blair’s parents, Nancy and Patrick Blair, his brother Joe and his two daughters, Maria and Olivia, and a group of friends from his days as a Crusader at L’Anse Creuse North High School, where he played tennis and football.

After graduating from high school in 2001, Blair pursued a career in acting. With a shortage of television and film opportunities in the Detroit area, however, he entered a talent competition in Chicago and was discovered by an agent, who he credits for changing his mind about where he fits into the business.

Shortly after that he moved to Los Angeles.

“It will be 14 years, Oct. 2,” Blair says. “For the first three years that I was in L.A. it was rough,” says the charming and oh-so-dashing 33-year-old actor. “I was living off the dollar menu at McDonalds and I ate a lot of oatmeal.”

He was not employed as an actor or a model. And you gotta believe Dolce & Gabbana are kicking themselves now, for not discovering the charming and oh-so-handsome Michigander. So, he went to work honing his skills as an actor.

“I poured my heart and soul into acting classes and developed a true love for (it),” he says. “I realized that when I put in the work, I started getting jobs.”

Fast forward to 2009, and all of a sudden he’s working in television, with roles on “Glee,” “Heroes,” “Hard Times” and most recently, Freeform’s “The Young & Hungry.” While working on “Hard Times,” Blair got the chance to work with the hulking Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker. “He was great,” Blair says. “He was so forthcoming and open. He told me, ‘If you have any problems or need any help just let me know.’ As a mentor he was everything you would hope for and more.”

The TV roles led to movie gigs including an appearance in “Whiplash.”

“It was the smallest role, but also one of the biggest,” he says, adding not only did he get the opportunity to work with J.K. Simmons, who won an Oscar for his role as the cutthroat drum instructor, he had a part in bringing a great story to life.

The same is true of his newest movie, based on an actual case of an animal rights activist who poses as a college intern to investigate possible abuse on a dog-breeding farm.

In “The Dog Lover,” written and directed by Alex Ranarivelo and Ali Afshar, Sara Moore (Allison Page) is a member of the fictional United Animal Protection Agency, which conducts animal rescues and lobbies for better animal welfare laws. Handpicked for a major assignment, Gold goes undercover as a college intern to infiltrate a suspected puppy mill run by the enigmatic Daniel Holloway (James Remar) and his family, including his loving and protective — but often naïve — son, Will (Blair). Sara becomes part of the family and learns all about the world of dog breeding, but is hard pressed to find any sign of animal abuse. When she realizes, lack of evidence has no impact on the rescue group, she finds herself torn between doing her job and doing what’s right.

“It’s such a fantastic story,” says Blair, who met the real-flie Daniel Christianson (aka Daniel Holloway) at a premiere and learned, while the movie shows court proceedings and how a large company can manipulate the system and people for their greater good, the real drama lasted for five years.

“I think first and foremost this is a love story, between Will and Sarah (who ended up dating afterwards). But it’s also a story about rights and fighting for what you believe in,” Blair says. “Being a part of that, something that means something to people, is important to me.”

• “The Dog Lover” opens in theaters July 8 and is rated PG due to thematic elements, brief images and some language.